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Articles Creativity

Those who don’t believe in magic…

Written by Rick van der Wal in March 2009

This Thursday I will give a guest lecture at the School of Applied Sciences in Rotterdam. I’m really looking forward to it and still fine tuning the presentation this evening. The presentation itself covers what I think are the fundamentals of creative thinking, and the Great Ideas that are a natural result of that.

More on that later though, I don’t want to give away too much before the presentation itself. What I can tell you the presentation (and the next blogpost) is largely inspired by my favorite quote of all time, by one of the greatest storytellers and Creative Thinkers that will ever walked the face of this earth:

“Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” ~ Roald Dahl

More to come soon! Why not sign up to our RSS if you haven’t done so already and get notified of our blogposts?

Articles Ideation

Dealing with hidden problems of idea acceptation

Written by Rick van der Wal in March 2009

One of the most common conflicts in creative teams is picking the initial idea to be developed, and get everyone behind that single idea.

Sometimes this is a smooth process. If one of the ideas is already a combination of ideas from various people on your team it usually doesn’t take long to get everyone enthusiastic about it. It becomes more difficult when individuals won’t accept an alternative to their own solution. This can become a real problem when the reasons why the idea doesn’t get accepted remain unclear. Read the rest of this article »

Cinema industrial design

Objectified: Rethinking our everyday enviroment

A peek at the upcoming design documentary “Objectified”, by Gary Hustwit, the director of “Helvetica”. The trailer features the voices of Jonathan Ive, Andrew Blauvelt, Marc Newson, and Karim Rashid. The song is “I Like Van Halen Because My Sister Says They Are Cool” by El Ten Eleven.
Objectified premieres at film festivals and events worldwide [...]

Articles Creativity

Do the Pecha-Kucha!

Written by Risha Pradkin in March 2009

What is it with Japanese words that instantly grab my attention and turn it into an ‘Otaku’. One of my most recent discoveries is the ‘Pecha-Kucha’.

Pecha-Kucha (pronounced ‘peh-chak-cha’ as far as I was able to trace) is the Japanese sound of an ‘informal conversation’ or chatter, something like the English ‘chit-chat’. It was originally invented by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, two architects in Tokyo who opened up a performance space for young designers to meet, network and present their work. Read the rest of this article »

Articles Design Thinking

Inspiration from Industry Leaders: Design Thinking

Written by Rick van der Wal in March 2009

Amongst the most influential people in the way I think about creativity, ideas and design are Tim Brown and David Kelley. They run a company called IDEO, the largest and most recognized innovation consultancy company in the world. Its rich portfolio of creative solutions (like Apple’s ‘mouse’) have made it the leading brand for innovation today.

What surprised me when I researched IDEO is how transparent they are about the ‘blueprint’ of their success. Like other modern companies, IDEO lectures, writes and trains in ideation, and in doing so have been a big inspiration for me ever since I first saw founder and chairman David Kelley’s presentation on TED in 2005.

This article is about the things I’ve learned from IDEO as a company, and how to apply their success into your idea development through a process called Design Thinking. Read the rest of this article »

Books Creativity

Coaching the Artist Within: Advice for Writers, Actors, Visual Artists, and Musicians

Written by Martin in't Veld in February 2009

Written by leading creativity coach Eric Maisel, this book offers many ways to manage, train and maintain the ‘artist within’. Coaching the Artist Within provides ample examples and lessons of building and maintaining a creative lifestyle – one that is bound to create the inspiration you need, and provide meaning in your work. Eric Maisel writes well and makes this self education book into a useful program to nourish your right brain. Must read material for any aspiring artist or creative.

Loved it because:

Practical tips and lessons that are meant to actively train and improve your creativity
Eric Maisel is a well-recognized creativity coach, and brings the necessary experience to ensure these lessons deliver on their promise
The book offers many insights into alternative forms of art such as dancing, acting, creating music, or any other creative field you may not be familiar with

You might not like it because:

The book demands more than just reading, and when followed to the letter, will make an impact by doing minor daily exercises to build and maintain a creative lifestyle

See this book on amazon.com »

Inspiration Photography & Illustration

Digital painters & sculpters tell amazing stories

Written by Rick van der Wal in February 2009

The canvas is often replaced by empty documents by the creatives in the 21st century. Where artists used to compose in paint modern Graphical artists of the CG Society tell their stories with meshes (digital 3D objects), textures and after effects. Read the rest of this article »

Cinema noauthor

They don’t have to do it

Creativity, emotional design and intelligent signage can be found in the places you least expect it. Look what this Boston construction crew did to brighten up the lives of the child patients while building their new home.

Cinema Creativity

Creativity and Play

At the 2008 Serious Play conference, designer Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play, with many examples you can try at home (and one that maybe you shouldn’t).

Books Chip Heath

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

Written by Martin in't Veld in February 2009

Made to stick by brothers Dan and Chip Heath explains how to make sure your idea isn’t part of the 99% of ideas we observe but forget every day. The book presents some great formula’s for effective communication. The brothers get their inspiration from scientific theories such as sociology, anthropology and psychology and weaves it in to a perfectly readable story in a Malcom Gladwell’esque manner.

Loved it because:

The book itself makes it case, by using good techniques to make you remember their ideas.
Well researched theory – the Heath brothers have certainly done their homework on memory, motivation and observation
Great stories and anecdotes, ranging from gruesome to heroic, from well known to intimate revelations.

You might not like it because:

Other than entertainment and to put (new) words to existing knowledge the weathered marketer/PR person won’t find ‘Made to Stick’ overly useful. The book is a must read for managers, designers, inventors and people otherwise active in the creative industry.

See this book on amazon.com »